"Vincenzo Nibali once won the Tour de France on the cobblestones" - Remco Evenepoel sees gravel stage as potential difference maker

Remco Evenepoel is set to make his long-awaited debut at the Tour de France in 2024. The question of whether he can really compete with the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic however, remains a hot-topic in the cycling world.

As the Belgian former Vuelta a Espana winner continues his reconnaissance, one stage in particular stands out. The controversial gravel stage in Troyes. "It's not up to me to say whether it should be included or not, but whether I'm a fan of it? It depends," he analyses on a podcast with his clothing sponsor, Castelli. "I still have to look at the course, but there shouldn't be a real Strade stage in a Grand Tour. It's something completely different. There are riders who specifically want to win that race, but in the Grand Tours some riders are even afraid of it."

The old saying is that you can't win the race on a stage like this but you can definitely lose it. Evenepoel however, perhaps alluding to his plans for the stage, points to a similar stage from yesteryear. "Vincenzo Nibali once won the Tour de France on the cobblestones," he recalls. "But, you can just as easily lose it in these types of stages."

“If men like Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert were to come with me to the Tour, I would have the perfect guests around me,” Evenepoel concludes. "Kasper has already finished third in Strade and Yves is simply a very strong guy on the flat."